“We will turn Iran back to the Stone Age”… Trump’s address to the nation declared ‘escalation,’ not ‘end of war’ - 경향신문

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※If the front page is the newspaper’s face for the day, the photo placed there may be the very first gaze one meets. The front-page photo is the ‘one and only’ image selected from roughly 3,000~4,000 pictures taken in a day by Kyunghyang Shinmun reporters and domestic and international wire photographers. We have gathered the front-page photos from the past week (Mon~Fri).

사진 크게보기 On the 28th (local time), as ‘No Kings’ protests opposing the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump took place across the United States, demonstrators march through Manhattan, New York. AP Yonhap News

The third ‘No Kings’ (No Kings·There Are No Kings) protest held in the United States on the 28th (local time) set a new record for size. To condemn the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, protests were held at more than 3,200 sites across the United States and in major cities overseas, with organizers estimating about 8 million participants. Previously, the first and second ‘No Kings’ protests held in June and October last year drew 5 million and 7 million people, respectively.

The March 30 Monday front-page photo shows ‘No Kings’ protesters filling New York’s Times Square. We received photos of demonstrations from all over the United States. While signs with specific slogans are useful, images that convey scale were more fitting. Beyond the density of the crowd, it was ideal to show the spatial backdrop of the United States as well. We chose a photo that packed both lanes of Times Square in New York.

■ Airborne early warning and control aircraft hit by Iran… ‘U.S. pride’ torn in two (March 31)

사진 크게보기 An E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia lies heavily damaged after being struck by Iran’s missiles and drones on the 29th (local time). The E-3 AWACS, known as the ‘eye in the sky,’ is a key U.S. Air Force asset that uses airborne radar to detect enemy weapons systems hundreds of miles away. AFP Yonhap News

Iran bombed a U.S. Air Force base in Saudi Arabia, destroying an E-3 Sentry AWACS, the so-called ‘eye in the sky.’ This came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said, “We have destroyed almost all of Iran’s missile capability.” A military-focused outlet that reported U.S. losses said, “The destruction of an E-3 AWACS is unprecedented,” adding, “This aircraft, worth about $500 million (about 670 billion won), is among the most expensive strategic assets in the U.S. Air Force.”

The March 31 front-page photo is of the key U.S. asset E-3 AWACS split in two by Iran’s attack. Although the story ran the previous day, the photo was released the next day. Even though it was a day old, there had been virtually no images in this war that laid bare U.S. losses, so we ran it on page one.

사진 크게보기 The Middle East war is disrupting domestic supplies of vinyl and plastic. On the 31st, the warehouse at a packaging shop in Namdaemun Market, Seoul, stands empty after running out of stock of so-called ‘bubble wrap,’ used for insulation and packing. A shop representative said, “The 200 units a day we used to receive have been cut off since the latest Middle East crisis.” Moon Jae-won

To respond to the economic crisis stemming from the Middle East war, the government has drawn up a supplementary budget totaling 26.2 trillion won. Roughly 35.8 million people in the bottom 70% by income will receive a differentiated ‘high oil price relief payment’ of 100,000 to 600,000 won per person. At a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung, the 2026 supplementary budget plan was approved with a focus on countering high oil prices, stabilizing livelihoods for vulnerable groups, minimizing industrial damage, and safeguarding supply chains. The core is a three-pronged high oil price burden relief package consisting of relief payments, reinforcement of funding for a petroleum price cap, and public transit rebates, totaling 10.1 trillion won.

The Wednesday, the 1st, front-page photo shows the empty warehouse of a packaging shop in Namdaemun Market. The ripple effects of the Middle East war are disrupting domestic supplies of vinyl and plastic. This shop used to receive some 200 units of ‘bubble wrap’ per day for packing, but the flow stopped after the Middle East crisis. The damage from high oil prices is now visible to the naked eye, reaching deep into everyday life.

사진 크게보기 Amid expectations of an end to the Middle East war, the KOSPI index surged more than 8% on the 1st, and the KOSPI closing level and other indicators appear on the board at Hana Bank’s dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul. The KOSPI rose 426.24 points (8.44%) from the previous session to finish at 5478.70, snapping a five-session losing streak. Moon Jae-won

U.S. President Donald Trump, now in the fifth week of war with Iran, said in response to reporters’ questions during an event at the White House, “What I need to do is leave Iran. We will leave soon.” He offered a new end-of-war timetable, citing a specific deadline of “within 2∼3 weeks” for ending military operations against Iran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking by phone with Antonio Costa, the European Council president, said, “If the demand to guarantee that war will not recur is met, we have the will needed to end this conflict,” heightening expectations for a possible end to the war.

The April 2 front-page photo captures financial markets surging on hopes of an end to the Middle East war, with the KOSPI soaring and the wondollar exchange rate tumbling. It also reflected expectations for Trump’s address to the nation on the Iran war scheduled for the following day. The domestic financial market has been seesawing with daily spikes and plunges at the mercy of Trump’s ‘flippant yet overbearing mouth.’

사진 크게보기 The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket ‘Artemis II,’ carrying the ‘Orion spacecraft’ for lunar exploration, blasts off spewing flames from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the 1st (local time). Carrying four astronauts, Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed lunar exploration spacecraft in more than 50 years. UPI Yonhap News

After half a century, the crewed lunar exploration rocket ‘Artemis II’ has headed for space. According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Artemis II rocket was launched at 6:35 p.m. (U.S. Eastern Time) on the 1st from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ‘Artemis II’ comprises the Space Launch System (SLS), standing 98ｍ tall, and the crewed capsule Orion, which is carrying four astronauts. It is the first crewed lunar exploration spacecraft launch in about 53 years since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The mission’s planned total flight duration is ten days, and the flight distance is 1,102,400㎞. The main objectives are to test life-support systems on Orion and to confirm the effects on humans in the space radiation environment.

The front-page photo shows Artemis II, carrying the lunar exploration ‘Orion spacecraft,’ lifting off. What we had considered a strong front-page contender that dayTrump’s address to the nationfell through as events unfolded contrary to expectations. In the speech, Trump, contrary to forecasts that he would present a concrete plan to end the war, repeated claims about the justification and achievements of the war and said, “Within 2~3 weeks, we will strike Iran hard and return it to the ‘Stone Age’ level.” International oil prices rose steeply, and the domestic financial market tasted bitterness again.